The clinic is run by Cornell students under the direction of Professor Malte Ziewitz. It is organized as a 4-credit seminar under the course code STS 4040, and enrollment is by application only.
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis starting in November before a spring class.
Students should submit an application, including a resume, a short statement of intent, and an (informal) transcript using the online form below. There will be no interview. This year, we are planning to recruit a group of 8 student researchers.
Course format
Clinical programs have a long tradition in legal education, especially in North American law schools. As a method of practical teaching, clinics provide hands-on professional experience to students and pro bono services to individual clients or constituencies. The multidisciplinary Digital Due Process Clinic is not a legal one, but follows the same idea. Student members engage in research and advocacy on behalf of those who could not otherwise afford them.
Project focus
The clinic takes on a different project every year. In the spring semester 2024, our goal will be to put finalize the Humans of AI project, a website that collects and curates the audio stories of people who feel mistreated by an automated system.
Answering these questions may involve arranging and conducting interviews with experts and affected people; doing desk research of academic and popular literature; writing up your findings to map and document these stories; and making them available to a broader public. You will receive extensive training in research ethics, qualitative research methods, and the responsible presentation of data.
Time commitment
Expect a workload that is comparable to a four-credit seminar or independent study. Our regular meeting time is TBD, but you will be expected to a significant amount of work during the week. We expect to bundle much of the training in the first few weeks to leave ample time for you to work on your cases and be done before the exam period. Please note that the clinic will require more flexibility than other classes. For example, you might have to accommodate the schedule of an external partner or occasionally meet outside our scheduled time.
Eligibility
Any Cornell undergraduate student who is at least in their second year of study (i.e. sophomores, juniors, and seniors) can apply. In terms of backgrounds, we are looking for a mix of people with different (academic and non-academic) life experiences and skills. Engineering, history, computer science, STS, communication, ILR, or comparative literature – whatever your major, you will most likely have something to contribute. Make clear in your application what that ‘something’ is, and how you will bring it to bear on the project. Applicants should be excited to work with people unlike themselves, be able to listen carefully, and to write collaboratively for a broader audience.
*requires Cornell account